60º of Separation (Student Project)

Derrick Lin

Global

Designer: Mitul Iyengar
Location: Chicago, USA
Project Type: Student Project
School: School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Packaging contents: Wooden slides, instruction manual for game
Packaging materials: Recycled wood, recycled cardboard, transparent plastic

This is a hand-held toy that allows the user to reveal the numbers 0-9 through manipulation.

There are a total of 9 equilateral triangular slides with various abstract shapes printed onto transparent sheets. The numbers are revealed when the right combination of 3 slides are held together in a specific orientation. The triangles (with equal 60º angles) can be turned over and over until they align perfectly and reveal the number. Each slide has multiple shapes engraved on the border, which act as a clue to guide the user to select the right set of 3 slides in combination.

Ex: Triangle for number 3, Square for number 4, Pentagon for number 5, etc.

What’s Unique:
The device is a play on Frigyes Karinthy’s concept of 6 degrees of separation that states that everyone and everything is six or fewer steps away from any other person in the world. In the case of my device, each number is separated by 60º shifts of the triangular slides. The packaging keeps the triangular shape of the object inside visible from the outside, which is a defining feature of the concept of the device.

In addition, it is created almost entirely out of recyclable materials. This makes it possible to be produce it easily, with the hope that it can be used as a cognitive learning tool for children.